I spent a great deal of time during the last four years working with Dunstan Hope, Managing Director of the ICT Practice Advisory Group at Business for Social Responsibility, on the creation of the Global Network Initiative. The work it takes to stand up a new multi-stakeholder group like the GNI often leaves little room for reflection on what we have achieved. Somehow Dunstan found that time and offers some thoughtful answers on that question in the BSR blog this week, noting that in the course of our collective effort:
[N]ew standards have emerged where previously there were none…. a new coalition of networked and informed advocates has been created… and two new communities have emerged: communities of people inside internet companies who are now much more familiar with human rights, and communities of people inside human rights organizations who now have a much better understanding of the implications of new technology.
For those who have not ventured into the GNI tent, Dunstan's post is well worth a read. And if I can add an item to Dunstan’s list, it would be the acknowledgement of a set of a very deep friendships, forged among people who thought they had no common ground. And I for one, after co-facilitating with Dunstan for much of this process, have learned to speak the Queen’s English, albeit not fluently.
You can read Dunstan's full blog post entry here.